Trump complains Twitter censors free speech, threatens to shut it down — Ironic
It’s interesting how Donald Trump can so easily walk away from people but not his addiction to Twitter.
This week, Pres. Trump signed an executive order against social media… I think? What exactly that means, I’m not sure.
What I gather from his tweet rants and subsequent signing ceremony at the White House on Thursday is that he’s pissed that Twitter now puts disclaimers or fine print with his inaccurate posts.
He’s citing free speech violations and censorship, even going to the extreme of saying that Twitter is interfering in the election process. (So, he’s taken immediate action against Twitter but not Russia? Curious, hey?)
But, what exactly is that action? What is he hoping to accomplish? Is it to intimidate? Is it to threaten? Is it to bully? Is it all of the above? Moreover, does it have any clout? Sounds like it doesn’t.
When pressed by reporters about simply shutting down his Twitter account, Trump didn’t directly answer, only to accuse the media of being “fake news” and saying social media audiences are bigger than the mainstream media. In fact, he said if he could legally find a way, he would have Twitter shut down. Wait a second. Isn’t that a contradiction?
For its part, Twitter has taken heat on both sides of the argument. Critics have long complained that Trump’s account should be shutdown because of bullying, hateful and misleading posts. At the same time, free speech is defended and people say Trump has a right to post what he wants. Then, on the other hand, it’s led to debate about who should be monitored and the reasonably policing and fact checking every tweet everywhere in the world. It’s been reported that as a world leader, Trump has been treated differently than the average Twitter user. Call it “prez privilege.”
Trump seemingly spends more time with his Twitter account than his own child. Why would he gun for it to be shut down? Wouldn’t he then have to find something else to do with his time? He’s only punishing himself by cutting off his favourite toy, no?
There’s a level of entitlement when it comes to social media. I have long seen people post rants about being blocked for a day, or two days, or a week. They seemingly have a countdown clock awaiting the moment they are released from Facebook or Twitter “jail,” as it’s frequently called.
The thing to remember: These companies don’t have to let anybody and everybody be a user. Somehow people feel it is their right to have a Facebook or Twitter account. It’s not. When you break the rules you agree to when signing up, you can get kicked off.
If a company does you wrong, call for a boycott and stop being a customer. Problem solved. That’s your protest. But don’t demand justice while still using the company’s platform to complain. Walk away.
Mr. President, it’s hard to take seriously your argument when you use your soapbox on the company’s platform to complain about the company’s platform.
If only posting threats could get someone kicked off social media, hey?
